Now through Wednesday 4.22.20 all profits from the Employee Relief Tee Collection at Revolvr Menswear on Wall Street in Downtown Bend will go directly to the Revolvr employees that were temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 store closures. These tees are purchased on a pre-order basis, so please allow 7-10 business days for your order to arrive. By purchasing a tee from this collection, you are also helping us support our small, independent vendors that have also been hard hit by the store closures, since almost all shops have cancelled their incoming orders or put them on hold. Thanks for your support! The Revolvr team looks forward to opening their doors again soon! *Due to the donation nature of this collection, tees in this collection do not qualify for the 20% off discount
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As we end week 5 of quarantine, we are so grateful for all of our merchants that are still working day in and day out to bring us delicious foods, great coffee and awesome shopping experiences. This week, our favorite product in Downtown Bend is the Chill the F*ck Out bar glass available at Jubeelee for $14.95. As you can see by the image below, this really is the only glass you need while you are stuck in your house. While you're at it - we highly recommend perusing all of their online store and we guarantee that you will find more things that you can't live without.
Right now small businesses need your continued help and support! Here is how you can help! |
Community Parking Meeting Invite | |
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Did you know that a small nonprofit called the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA for short) is actively working to build and grow our vibrant downtown core?
Currently the DBBA is responsible for everything you think of as the 'downtown experience'... daily sidewalk cleaning, decorating, snow removal, branding, marketing, community events... and so much more. For a full list of DBBA responsibilities, click here.
The DBBA is earnestly raising funds to beautify our downtown. They recently purchased and installed new directories in the Downtown core. These directories will help downtown guests find the locations and experiences they are looking for as well as providing a stream of revenue to the DBBA to further downtown beautification. The DBBA also provides banners for downtown, and holds several fundraisers throughout the year, including Bend Oktoberfest & The Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl. In addition, the DBBA always gratefully accepts your tax-deductible donations.
Currently the DBBA is responsible for everything you think of as the 'downtown experience'... daily sidewalk cleaning, decorating, snow removal, branding, marketing, community events... and so much more. For a full list of DBBA responsibilities, click here.
The DBBA is earnestly raising funds to beautify our downtown. They recently purchased and installed new directories in the Downtown core. These directories will help downtown guests find the locations and experiences they are looking for as well as providing a stream of revenue to the DBBA to further downtown beautification. The DBBA also provides banners for downtown, and holds several fundraisers throughout the year, including Bend Oktoberfest & The Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl. In addition, the DBBA always gratefully accepts your tax-deductible donations.
What is your dream for our Downtown?
Interactive art? Reclaimed alleys? Trash cans and benches? Parklets? Murals? Covered bike parking? Holiday decorations? What is your dream for Downtown?
The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) and Business for Bend Film hosted a Downtown Business Merchant Meeting at the Tin Pan Theatre this morning, Thursday Feb 6th, 2020. Today’s guest was Melissa King and Aaron Switzer with Lay it Out Events (LIOE). About 35 business owners attended the meeting to learn about changes to Fallfest, Summerfest and the Bite of Bend.
The informal presentation by Aaron Switzer and Q & A session that followed was positive, constructive, and was met with extreme gratitude from local merchants.
The meeting ended with a resounding applause.
“Lay it Out Event’s staff is here and they accept hugs,” joked Mindy Aisling, Executive Directory of the DBBA, in response to the overwhelming acknowledgement of the positive changes that LIOE had presented.
The informal presentation by Aaron Switzer and Q & A session that followed was positive, constructive, and was met with extreme gratitude from local merchants.
The meeting ended with a resounding applause.
“Lay it Out Event’s staff is here and they accept hugs,” joked Mindy Aisling, Executive Directory of the DBBA, in response to the overwhelming acknowledgement of the positive changes that LIOE had presented.
These changes include:
- LIOE to provide a downtown liaison position to address access issues, support joint marketing efforts and work with LIOE staff to provide for and accommodate a business’s ‘day-of’ needs.
- LIOE to rotate the stage at Bite of Bend and move the main stage for Fall and Summerfest
- LIOE to, as code allows, redo layouts to move vendors to the center of the street
- LIOE to require all event and vendor staff to park off-site and outside of the EID
- LIOE to provide deeper cleaning post-festival
- LIOE to provide pre and post-festival meetings with the City and the DBBA
- LIOE to launch a new app featuring downtown retailer discounts, free to DBBA members for the first year
- LIOE to design scavenger hunts on this app to drive traffic
- LIOE to offer stage time, free of charge, to the DBBA and community groups
- LIOE to conduct surveys at select events and share data with retailers
- LIOE to facilitate ‘Art of the Song’ workshops (scheduling festival performers to play at local businesses within the EID pre and post-festival.
- LIOE to work with downtown businesses on sidewalk sale promotions
- LIOE to provide an after-festival party promotion
- LIOE to provide dedicated media for Downtown – full-page guide ads, separate social media, posters, and logistical support.
Questions from the engaged audience included, but were not limited to:
Q: Will you be able change the placement of vendors so that a competing vendor isn't right in front of my store?
A: Yes
Q: Is there a way that we can still get our deliveries during these events?
A: Yes
Q: Can I have my own booth in front of my business?
A: Yes, and we'll give you a discounted rate
Q: Is there a cost for all of the new integration tools your suggesting (scavenger hunts, art of song, full downtown page in the event guide)?
A: No
After asking half a dozen questions, one business manager exclaimed, "I can't believe it, you've solved all of the problems we've been having during these festivals. This is amazing."
The final comment of the meeting was from a long-time business owner in Downtown Bend, “I’ve been here for 20 years, and these festivals have always been a burden for my business. I’ve never experienced collaboration like this, and I’m incredibly pleased with this development.”
Q: Will you be able change the placement of vendors so that a competing vendor isn't right in front of my store?
A: Yes
Q: Is there a way that we can still get our deliveries during these events?
A: Yes
Q: Can I have my own booth in front of my business?
A: Yes, and we'll give you a discounted rate
Q: Is there a cost for all of the new integration tools your suggesting (scavenger hunts, art of song, full downtown page in the event guide)?
A: No
After asking half a dozen questions, one business manager exclaimed, "I can't believe it, you've solved all of the problems we've been having during these festivals. This is amazing."
The final comment of the meeting was from a long-time business owner in Downtown Bend, “I’ve been here for 20 years, and these festivals have always been a burden for my business. I’ve never experienced collaboration like this, and I’m incredibly pleased with this development.”
The Downtown Bend Business Association is a small nonprofit committed to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend. For a full scope of work, click here.
Bend Electric Bikes (BEB) will move to a new location in Downtown Bend. The new shop,located at 869 NW Wall Street, suite 104, will help more people in Central Oregon enjoy the many benefits of biking, now in a more visible and central location. The new location was recently occupied by Crow’s Feet, which moved to Northwest Crossing after being Downtown for several years. Bend Electric Bikes will continue to serve the area as a neighborhood bike shop and introduce electric and cargo bikes for use in work and family life. There are already several Downtown business owners leading the revolution by using electric cargo bikes for business transport, eliminating the large footprint that cargo vans or other automobiles make in the area.
The owners and staff of BEB are excited to be part of the Brooks Alley neighborhood and the Downtown Bend business community. The staff will bring their friendly, welcoming culture and diverse community of riders to the new location. The shop offers high quality electric urban mobility for everyone and will make a, now bigger, positive impact on the area.
Reasonably priced electric bike rentals will be offered to folks visiting Bend in order to provide a realistic alternative to traveling around our congested roads - a welcomed relief, as expressed by past and frequent visitors. Bend Electric Bikes will continue doing business at the existing location at 223 NW Hill Street in the Old Bend neighborhood until February 3. Opening day Downtown will be February 6. The community is invited to the baby GRAND OPENING and first First Friday Art Walk on February 7 5-9pm. Everyone is welcomed to meet the new neighbors, celebrate and join the BEB community. We shall party!
Courtney Van Fossan, cultural agent of change, a former customer turned employee of BEB says, quote, “Several years ago, I was a customer who needed a supportive community and expert service on my electric cargo bike that carried me and my young children everywhere around town. We relied on our electric cargo bike and our bike shop to keep us moving. Having reliable, low cost, active transportation has made way for my family to enjoy some of our sweetest memories, moving about freely, getting to know our Bend community, up close. Electric, cargo and family biking was a quiet subculture and now, it’s mainstream, full of people we all know and growing quickly. Bend Electric Bikes is the bike shop I need and want in my community and we have a whole bunch of friends who feel the same way. I’m excited for the McCords to see their ‘little bike stand’ evolve into such an active and loved community kind of place.”
About Bend Electric Bikes:
Bend Electric Bikes, now in its 12th year of business, offers sales, service and rental of quality
electric bikes, cargo bikes and and other electric urban mobility modes of transport in Central
Oregon. Owners, Sterling and Kathy McCord, long time Bend residents, have a mission of
getting more people on bikes and to share the many benefits of biking in our daily lives. BEB is
a community hub for those seeking reliable electric bikes to use in everyday life and offers
information, support and community activities to encourage ridership. The staff has long term
personal experience and expertise in all aspects of biking, including many years of the most
extensive professional technical knowledge and service of electric bikes Most importantly, the
shop provides a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere for all people, especially those who are newly
bike curious. Everyone benefits from riding bikes and BEB is committed to helping folks enjoy
them in their everyday lives.
The owners and staff of BEB are excited to be part of the Brooks Alley neighborhood and the Downtown Bend business community. The staff will bring their friendly, welcoming culture and diverse community of riders to the new location. The shop offers high quality electric urban mobility for everyone and will make a, now bigger, positive impact on the area.
Reasonably priced electric bike rentals will be offered to folks visiting Bend in order to provide a realistic alternative to traveling around our congested roads - a welcomed relief, as expressed by past and frequent visitors. Bend Electric Bikes will continue doing business at the existing location at 223 NW Hill Street in the Old Bend neighborhood until February 3. Opening day Downtown will be February 6. The community is invited to the baby GRAND OPENING and first First Friday Art Walk on February 7 5-9pm. Everyone is welcomed to meet the new neighbors, celebrate and join the BEB community. We shall party!
Courtney Van Fossan, cultural agent of change, a former customer turned employee of BEB says, quote, “Several years ago, I was a customer who needed a supportive community and expert service on my electric cargo bike that carried me and my young children everywhere around town. We relied on our electric cargo bike and our bike shop to keep us moving. Having reliable, low cost, active transportation has made way for my family to enjoy some of our sweetest memories, moving about freely, getting to know our Bend community, up close. Electric, cargo and family biking was a quiet subculture and now, it’s mainstream, full of people we all know and growing quickly. Bend Electric Bikes is the bike shop I need and want in my community and we have a whole bunch of friends who feel the same way. I’m excited for the McCords to see their ‘little bike stand’ evolve into such an active and loved community kind of place.”
About Bend Electric Bikes:
Bend Electric Bikes, now in its 12th year of business, offers sales, service and rental of quality
electric bikes, cargo bikes and and other electric urban mobility modes of transport in Central
Oregon. Owners, Sterling and Kathy McCord, long time Bend residents, have a mission of
getting more people on bikes and to share the many benefits of biking in our daily lives. BEB is
a community hub for those seeking reliable electric bikes to use in everyday life and offers
information, support and community activities to encourage ridership. The staff has long term
personal experience and expertise in all aspects of biking, including many years of the most
extensive professional technical knowledge and service of electric bikes Most importantly, the
shop provides a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere for all people, especially those who are newly
bike curious. Everyone benefits from riding bikes and BEB is committed to helping folks enjoy
them in their everyday lives.
Downtown Bend First Friday Art Walk has gone Green!
Let's face it - we all love our planet, so let's take care of it! By purchasing an Art Walk cup for $5, you can help Downtown Bend reduce the amount of single use cups that used and sent to the landfill every month. These cups are reusable every month!
The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) extends a huge "THANK YOU" to Patagonia Bend for spearheading this project.
"It wonderful when we can all work together to create a better Bend!" says Mindy Aisling, Executive Director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, "We love it when our businesses bring us great ideas like this one!"
Patagonia’s mission statement says it best, “we’re in business to save our home planet”. Through their efforts to reduce waste during the Bend Artwalk, they hope to encourage participants to take further action for our planet. As a community of forward thinkers and environmental activists, the DBBA, Patagonia and other participating businesses hope that this action can spread to other events in the community.
We are asking you, Bend, to help reduce waste in our community! Pick up your Art Walk cup at one of the following locations:
If you're a Downtown Bend business and you'd like to sell these amazing Art Walk cups, contact us.
Let's face it - we all love our planet, so let's take care of it! By purchasing an Art Walk cup for $5, you can help Downtown Bend reduce the amount of single use cups that used and sent to the landfill every month. These cups are reusable every month!
The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) extends a huge "THANK YOU" to Patagonia Bend for spearheading this project.
"It wonderful when we can all work together to create a better Bend!" says Mindy Aisling, Executive Director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, "We love it when our businesses bring us great ideas like this one!"
Patagonia’s mission statement says it best, “we’re in business to save our home planet”. Through their efforts to reduce waste during the Bend Artwalk, they hope to encourage participants to take further action for our planet. As a community of forward thinkers and environmental activists, the DBBA, Patagonia and other participating businesses hope that this action can spread to other events in the community.
We are asking you, Bend, to help reduce waste in our community! Pick up your Art Walk cup at one of the following locations:
- Patagonia Bend | 1000 NW Wall Street
- Outside In | 845 NW Wall Street
- Joolz | 916 NW Wall Street
- Bronwen Jewelry | 55 Minnesota Ave (upstairs)
- Footzone | 842 NW Wall Street
- Birkenstock Bend | 836 NW Wall Street
- Hot Box Betty | 903 NW Wall Street
- Princess Athletic | 945 NW Wall Street
- Sportsvision | 1002 NW Bond Street
If you're a Downtown Bend business and you'd like to sell these amazing Art Walk cups, contact us.
Parking in Downtown Bend is an important discussion in our community. In 2017, the City of Bend invested in a Downtown Strategic Parking Management Plan (to view the full plan, click here). In 2018, the Downtown Bend Parking Advisory Committee (DPAC), and the DPAC Work Committee was formed. This committee achieved several successes:
- Partnered with Deschutes County to provide access to county lots for weekends and special events in downtown. This essentially provided the community with the equivalent capacity of an additional parking garage at zero cost to tax payers during our busiest days of the year for parking demand.
- Developed a relationship between the COB Streets & Operations Department and the Downtown Bend Business Association
- Increased communication with Downtown Bend business owners & employees
- Held public meetings/events to talk about parking in Downtown Bend
The steps in this plan are designed to:
Some of the project identified for 2020 are:
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"We are really excited about the parking changes being developed for Downtown Bend," says Mindy Aisling, Executive Director of the DBBA, "and we are excited to work closely with the new parking manager and the City of Bend to assure that the needs our our businesses and customers are met throughout this process."
The full list of strategies from the Downtown Strategic Parking Management Plan are as follows:
The full list of strategies from the Downtown Strategic Parking Management Plan are as follows:
1. Formalize the Guiding Principles as policies in appropriate City documents. 2. Adopt the 85% Rule as the standard for measuring the performance of the parking supply and triggering specific management strategies, rates, permit prices and efforts by discrete zone. 3. Centralize the management and administration of parking in a Parking Services Division, integrated with the broader program of transportation services management. 4. Create the position of Parking Demand Manager for the City of Bend. Develop a job description and submit a service package to hire an appropriate individual. 5. Establish a Downtown Parking Advisory Committee to assist in the implementation and ongoing review of the parking plan. 6. Evaluate collection of data to measure parking impacts in select neighborhoods adjacent to the downtown, as well as feasibility and cost of neighborhood permit programs (e.g., administration, process and stakeholder education). 7. Develop funding options to support parking management, maintain the existing parking supply, and support future growth, ensuring the financial feasibility of the system. 8. Create a cohesive pricing policy for on- and off-street parking in downtown Bend. Support new policy with a rate/fee study to inform appropriate adjustments to current pricing formats to cover the cost of managing the downtown parking system. 9. Evaluate and implement solutions to safety impediments that create inconvenient and inefficient connections to parking, e.g., lighting, sidewalk/paths, lot conditions, etc. 10. Establish business-to-business and residential outreach on parking issues, including education and planning, and a Customer First Partnership with the Downtown Bend Business Association. 11. Identify off-street shared-use opportunities based on data from the 2016 parking study. Establish goals for transitioning permit users and long-term parkers out of on-street parking, begin outreach to opportunity sites, negotiate agreements, and sell permits. 12. Implement variable-rate pricing for on-street permits based on location, demand, and availability of parking. This will create pricing differentials between “premium” and underutilized locations. 13. Reduce or phase out the number of “2-Hour or as Otherwise Specified” on-street stalls in coordination with Strategies 11 and 12 above to simply “2-Hour Parking”. 14. Based on documented parking behavior, establish four distinct on-street parking management zones in the downtown parking district. Use 2016 or newer data to define the boundaries. 15. Eliminate free parking for the first two hours at the Mirror Pond lots. 16. Create a critical path timeline to a new parking brand that can be utilized at all City-owned lots and shared facilities, and in marketing/communications. 17. Standardize the design of on-street parking signage in the parking management district and incorporate the new brand/logo. 18. Rename all public parking facilities by address. 19. Establish best-practice protocols and performance metrics for enforcement personnel and support enforcement with appropriate technology. 20. Where practical, expand the bike parking network to connect parking and the downtown, encouraging employee bike commute trips and drawing customers to downtown businesses. 21. Develop a reasonable schedule of data collection—every two years —to assess the performance of the parking supply and support the 85% Rule for decision-making. 22. Using data collected per Strategy 21, evaluate on-street pricing by zone in high-occupancy areas. If peak occupancy exceeds 85%, implement on-street pricing during enforcement hours where appropriate. - If on-street pricing is implemented, review on-street time stays established in Strategy 14. 23. Eliminate free parking in the public garage when garage occupancies exceed 85% and on-street parking is priced. Implement demand-based pricing for all hours of enforced parking—e.g., hourly, evening, weekend, overnight, and event rates. 24. Develop and implement improvements at the downtown public parking garage to enhance its appearance, identity, safety, revenue control, communications technology, and pedestrian access. 25. Solicit firms to establish wayfinding and dynamic signage systems in the public right of way, integrated with the off-street system and using the brand/logo developed per Strategy 16. 26. If existing parking becomes limited, explore expanding access capacity with new transit and parking. 27. Develop cost forecasts and feasible financing methods for preferred parking supply and transit/shuttle options. 28. Expand capacity as necessary and feasible. |
For more information, please feel free to reach out to the DBBA at downtownbend@gmail.com
The DBBA is a small nonprofit with a mission is to grow the vitality of Downtown Bend by enhancing the experience, image, and lifestyle of the Economic Improvement District (EID). For more information about the DBBA, visit www.downtownbend.org.
The DBBA is a small nonprofit with a mission is to grow the vitality of Downtown Bend by enhancing the experience, image, and lifestyle of the Economic Improvement District (EID). For more information about the DBBA, visit www.downtownbend.org.
By Tara Marsh
Photos by Michelle Schleich
Photos by Michelle Schleich
Download the full article here: |
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Looking around the arid and dusty landscape, watching people come and go on the other side of a wire fence, four-year-old Paul asked his father, “Why are those people behind fences?”
“No, son, those people are not behind a fence, we are,” his father replied. That is one of the memories Paul Grayber holds on to from his early childhood spent in an American internment camp in Texas that housed Japanese, Germans, Italians, and South Americans during World War II.
Paul was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to German immigrant parents. The oldest of three boys, Paul and his family were picked up by the FBI in January 1943, leaving nearly all their belongings behind, and taken to Crystal City, Texas, where they lived in the internment camp for the next two years. “I used to crawl underneath the wire fence and steal grapefruits off a tree,” Paul remembers.
The Grayber family, along with hundreds of other detainees, were treated well, he said. But the feeling of restriction was real. “The freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of everything was curtailed because we were imprisoned, really,” he said.
By late 1944, Paul’s father was offered a deal. The family could either choose to be exchanged for captured American citizens being held in Germany or remain in the internment camp. Many years later, Paul still questions the irony of that offer. “Exchanging Americans for Americans.”
“No, son, those people are not behind a fence, we are,” his father replied. That is one of the memories Paul Grayber holds on to from his early childhood spent in an American internment camp in Texas that housed Japanese, Germans, Italians, and South Americans during World War II.
Paul was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to German immigrant parents. The oldest of three boys, Paul and his family were picked up by the FBI in January 1943, leaving nearly all their belongings behind, and taken to Crystal City, Texas, where they lived in the internment camp for the next two years. “I used to crawl underneath the wire fence and steal grapefruits off a tree,” Paul remembers.
The Grayber family, along with hundreds of other detainees, were treated well, he said. But the feeling of restriction was real. “The freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of everything was curtailed because we were imprisoned, really,” he said.
By late 1944, Paul’s father was offered a deal. The family could either choose to be exchanged for captured American citizens being held in Germany or remain in the internment camp. Many years later, Paul still questions the irony of that offer. “Exchanging Americans for Americans.”
“My father decided he didn’t want to be behind barbed wire and took the deal. That was a big mistake,” Paul said. They boarded a Swedish ship in January 1945. After sailing for 11 days, the Grayber family disembarked in Marseille, France, and traveled by train to Switzerland to be processed into Germany. They moved in with Paul’s maternal grand parents in a tiny cabin in the mountainous region of the Black Forest.
Years of battle had devastated just about every corner of the country. There was very little food, no jobs, no
transportation.
“For the next five years, there was nothing,” Paul said in a somber voice. “You have no idea what having nothing means. With three small boys, it was tough.” In the summer of 1945, just a few months after the war
in Europe ended, Paul’s father set off to Stuttgart to find employment, taking young Paul along. The pair hitched a ride in the back of a truck, but about 10 miles down the road they were stopped at a French checkpoint.
“After the war, Germany was divided into four different military zones,” explained Paul. The Black Forest was in the
French zone, the north was the English zone, east Germany was controlled by the Russians, and the south was in the hands of the Americans. Paul and his father were taken into a small chapel. Standing in front of the altar was a French major in full uniform. Speaking in broken German, the major asked who they were and where they were going.
Paul’s father handed over his identification papers and explained the situation. When the major asked who the boy
was, his father replied, “He’s an American citizen. He’s my son.” To that, the French major spat on the papers and tossed them to the floor. “Mah!” he shouted. “America! No good!”
“Here he was, wearing a uniform that the Americans gave him along with the Colt .45 on his hip,” Paul said, shaking his head. “Americans saved France and supplied them. I don’t know why he had that attitude.”
At that time, Paul explained, the French military would capture any males who were walking around loose and
send them off to the French Foreign Legion. Because Paul’s father was only a legal immigrant to the United States, not a full-edged citizen, he was vulnerable to the volatile political situation at that time.
“The major told my dad, ‘Thank your son. He’s an American. If it wasn’t for him, you’d be going into the French
Foreign Legion.’” Paul and his father were finally sent on their way. He spent the remainder of his childhood in Stuttgart, eventually returning to America when he was 18.
Years of battle had devastated just about every corner of the country. There was very little food, no jobs, no
transportation.
“For the next five years, there was nothing,” Paul said in a somber voice. “You have no idea what having nothing means. With three small boys, it was tough.” In the summer of 1945, just a few months after the war
in Europe ended, Paul’s father set off to Stuttgart to find employment, taking young Paul along. The pair hitched a ride in the back of a truck, but about 10 miles down the road they were stopped at a French checkpoint.
“After the war, Germany was divided into four different military zones,” explained Paul. The Black Forest was in the
French zone, the north was the English zone, east Germany was controlled by the Russians, and the south was in the hands of the Americans. Paul and his father were taken into a small chapel. Standing in front of the altar was a French major in full uniform. Speaking in broken German, the major asked who they were and where they were going.
Paul’s father handed over his identification papers and explained the situation. When the major asked who the boy
was, his father replied, “He’s an American citizen. He’s my son.” To that, the French major spat on the papers and tossed them to the floor. “Mah!” he shouted. “America! No good!”
“Here he was, wearing a uniform that the Americans gave him along with the Colt .45 on his hip,” Paul said, shaking his head. “Americans saved France and supplied them. I don’t know why he had that attitude.”
At that time, Paul explained, the French military would capture any males who were walking around loose and
send them off to the French Foreign Legion. Because Paul’s father was only a legal immigrant to the United States, not a full-edged citizen, he was vulnerable to the volatile political situation at that time.
“The major told my dad, ‘Thank your son. He’s an American. If it wasn’t for him, you’d be going into the French
Foreign Legion.’” Paul and his father were finally sent on their way. He spent the remainder of his childhood in Stuttgart, eventually returning to America when he was 18.
In 1947, not too far away from Stuttgart, Marie-Florence Gimel was born in the small village of Cruseilles, France, in Chateau de Pontverre. Her childhood surroundings were idyllic, just minutes from Annecy, also known as the Venice of France, and Talloires, a picturesque village on the shores of Lake Annecy.
“It is a beautiful, beautiful place,” she said. “Surrounded by the French Alps.”
She was the youngest child of renowned French expressionist painter Georges Gimel. “I came from a very interesting family, but I didn’t know it at the time,” said Marie-Florence. Her father was part of the French Resistance and compiled his art and writing about the horrors of war and the efforts of the Resistance in a book titled Le Calvaire de la Résistance (The Calvary of the Resistance).
When preparing to share her story, Marie-Florence dusted off her copy of the book and opened its pages, briey.
“I never looked at the book because it’s very sad. The war was such an atrocity. I’m too sensitive for that. I can’t read those things,” she said.
The next few years working and saving money to achieve her childhood dream: to travel the world. To kick off the adventure, she and two friends took advantage of Greyhound’s promotion at the time: 99 days for $99. With nothing but their backpacks, the group tra-
versed the United States and Canada. The year was 1968. Later, the three friends embarked on a trip around the globe, visiting just about every Asian country, the Middle
East, and Central and South America while meeting remarkable people along the way.
“It changed my life,” said Marie-Florence. “It changed my approach and attitude to life. My dream was always to travel. I was not book smart, but I was street smart. As a student, the only subject I was good at was geography!” she said, laughing.
But perhaps for her father, who was in his mid-40s during the war, putting together the images and words was healing. After the war, fellow artists in his circle, including Monet and Picasso, traveled to the south of France to focus on their art, explained Marie-Florence. “My dad would say to them, ‘While you guys went off to paint flowers, I was at war. After the war, there is no way I can paint flowers.’ That is why he made this book,” she related.
Her older brothers now own Chateau de Pontverre and their father’s original work and are renovating the chateau with the intention of creating a permanent museum of Gimel’s work. Her father died when Marie-Florence was 14, but before his death he made it a point to introduce his daughter to the wonder of art. “He took me to the Louvre, but he didn’t want me to tour the whole place. He said only take it in a little bit at a time so I wouldn’t forget anything,” she said.
After working as an au pair in England and Holland, Marie-Florence arrived in Los Angeles on her 20th birthday.
“It is a beautiful, beautiful place,” she said. “Surrounded by the French Alps.”
She was the youngest child of renowned French expressionist painter Georges Gimel. “I came from a very interesting family, but I didn’t know it at the time,” said Marie-Florence. Her father was part of the French Resistance and compiled his art and writing about the horrors of war and the efforts of the Resistance in a book titled Le Calvaire de la Résistance (The Calvary of the Resistance).
When preparing to share her story, Marie-Florence dusted off her copy of the book and opened its pages, briey.
“I never looked at the book because it’s very sad. The war was such an atrocity. I’m too sensitive for that. I can’t read those things,” she said.
The next few years working and saving money to achieve her childhood dream: to travel the world. To kick off the adventure, she and two friends took advantage of Greyhound’s promotion at the time: 99 days for $99. With nothing but their backpacks, the group tra-
versed the United States and Canada. The year was 1968. Later, the three friends embarked on a trip around the globe, visiting just about every Asian country, the Middle
East, and Central and South America while meeting remarkable people along the way.
“It changed my life,” said Marie-Florence. “It changed my approach and attitude to life. My dream was always to travel. I was not book smart, but I was street smart. As a student, the only subject I was good at was geography!” she said, laughing.
But perhaps for her father, who was in his mid-40s during the war, putting together the images and words was healing. After the war, fellow artists in his circle, including Monet and Picasso, traveled to the south of France to focus on their art, explained Marie-Florence. “My dad would say to them, ‘While you guys went off to paint flowers, I was at war. After the war, there is no way I can paint flowers.’ That is why he made this book,” she related.
Her older brothers now own Chateau de Pontverre and their father’s original work and are renovating the chateau with the intention of creating a permanent museum of Gimel’s work. Her father died when Marie-Florence was 14, but before his death he made it a point to introduce his daughter to the wonder of art. “He took me to the Louvre, but he didn’t want me to tour the whole place. He said only take it in a little bit at a time so I wouldn’t forget anything,” she said.
After working as an au pair in England and Holland, Marie-Florence arrived in Los Angeles on her 20th birthday.
The journey wasn’t always postcard perfect. "The Middle East was particularly dicey and dangerous, she said, especially for women. Women had to be escorted by a male everywhere they went and not be seen alone.
“But it taught me how to handle just about any situation,” she said.
Around the time Marie-Florence was earning her stripes as a world traveler, Paul was immersed in the world of show business and modeling in New York. In 1966, Paul had a part onstage in an opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, standing next to Placido Domingo as the famous singer performed.
“But it taught me how to handle just about any situation,” she said.
Around the time Marie-Florence was earning her stripes as a world traveler, Paul was immersed in the world of show business and modeling in New York. In 1966, Paul had a part onstage in an opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, standing next to Placido Domingo as the famous singer performed.
Paul spent many years modeling for renowned designers,including Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, and John Weitz. By the 1970s, he had made his way to Los Angeles, where his rugged good looks landed him spots in Western-themed commercials. He became pals with Tom Selleck and appeared in one of the last episodes of Magnum, P.I., titled “L.A.”
Marie-Florence returned to Los Angeles and was one of four managers of a restaurant near Universal Studios. Running into Hollywood celebrities was a regular occurrence, but Marie-Florence wasn’t too interested in the world of show business.
“I never recognized anybody,” she said. “All the waiters and waitresses were aspiring actors and couldn’t believe I didn’t know many of the celebrities who would frequent the restaurant. They would say to me, ‘You French people are really out of it!’”
Fate was starting to close in for Paul and Marie-Florence. Their paths, unique and colorful on their own, were about to cross. Marie-Florence, now a single mother of an 11-year-old son, had just ended a tumultuous relationship with a Hollywood screen-writer and was burning off steam at the YMCA.
Paul just happened to be exercising nearby and noticed the petite blonde and wondered why she wasn’t home watching the Academy Awards. Paul struck up a conversation, but Marie-Florence wasn’t interested. “I was so sick and tired of men. He asked me if I had someone and I said yes because I didn’t want it to go any further,” she said with a laugh.
Later, Marie-Florence was back at the YMCA and pointed Paul out to a friend. “What?!” the friend exclaimed, not under-standing why Marie-Florence wasn’t interested in the handsome gentleman.
“My friend said to me, ‘I wouldn’t mind waking up to a man like that!” she recalled.
Eventually Marie-Florence agreed to a date. But there was one very, very important catch—her son.
“Paul really connected with my son Philippe. That was very important to me. It was my priority. They bonded so well I told Paul, ‘You married me because of my son,’” she said. Paul and Marie-Florence were married in 1989, and it didn’t
take long for them to set out on an adventure together.
In the early 1990s, they accepted an offer to manage a hotel on the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean and off they went, along with young Philippe.
Marie-Florence returned to Los Angeles and was one of four managers of a restaurant near Universal Studios. Running into Hollywood celebrities was a regular occurrence, but Marie-Florence wasn’t too interested in the world of show business.
“I never recognized anybody,” she said. “All the waiters and waitresses were aspiring actors and couldn’t believe I didn’t know many of the celebrities who would frequent the restaurant. They would say to me, ‘You French people are really out of it!’”
Fate was starting to close in for Paul and Marie-Florence. Their paths, unique and colorful on their own, were about to cross. Marie-Florence, now a single mother of an 11-year-old son, had just ended a tumultuous relationship with a Hollywood screen-writer and was burning off steam at the YMCA.
Paul just happened to be exercising nearby and noticed the petite blonde and wondered why she wasn’t home watching the Academy Awards. Paul struck up a conversation, but Marie-Florence wasn’t interested. “I was so sick and tired of men. He asked me if I had someone and I said yes because I didn’t want it to go any further,” she said with a laugh.
Later, Marie-Florence was back at the YMCA and pointed Paul out to a friend. “What?!” the friend exclaimed, not under-standing why Marie-Florence wasn’t interested in the handsome gentleman.
“My friend said to me, ‘I wouldn’t mind waking up to a man like that!” she recalled.
Eventually Marie-Florence agreed to a date. But there was one very, very important catch—her son.
“Paul really connected with my son Philippe. That was very important to me. It was my priority. They bonded so well I told Paul, ‘You married me because of my son,’” she said. Paul and Marie-Florence were married in 1989, and it didn’t
take long for them to set out on an adventure together.
In the early 1990s, they accepted an offer to manage a hotel on the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean and off they went, along with young Philippe.
It was the idyllic island life for a few years, but as Philippe got older, Paul felt that the young man needed more structure than the lax island life could offer, so they returned to the States.
Paul and Marie-Florence traveled up the coastline from Los Angeles to Portland, exploring and contemplating their
next adventure. Paul had a friend who lived on a ranch in Wamic, Oregon, and he suggested they consider Bend.
The Graybers fell in love with Central Oregon and its snow-capped mountains and bright blue skies. In yet
another stroke of fate, or perhaps even luck, they were strolling around downtown Bend and saw that the Romantique Boutique was for sale. (Coincidentally, Marie-Florence’s maternal grandparents had been instrumental in starting the world’s first “department” store, a place where a myriad of wares could be purchased.) Making another leap of faith, they bought the business. The year was 1995. “I did not inherit my father’s gift of artistic ability, but I always found my creativity in other ways, mainly fashion,” said Marie-Florence.
Settling in Bend and owning an upscale women’s boutique was a perfect fit. “It’s not easy for visitors to come into a former lumber town and find high-end fashions for women,” said Paul. “But Marie-Florence was able to accommodate the fashion market here—half of our clientele are from out of town and make it a point to return.”
You never know who you might meet in Bend. On any given day, you may and Paul and Marie-Florence Grayber
are in Romantique, greeting visitors with an old-world charm and genuine warmth that hint at their rich story and the
winding path that brought them here, together.
Paul and Marie-Florence traveled up the coastline from Los Angeles to Portland, exploring and contemplating their
next adventure. Paul had a friend who lived on a ranch in Wamic, Oregon, and he suggested they consider Bend.
The Graybers fell in love with Central Oregon and its snow-capped mountains and bright blue skies. In yet
another stroke of fate, or perhaps even luck, they were strolling around downtown Bend and saw that the Romantique Boutique was for sale. (Coincidentally, Marie-Florence’s maternal grandparents had been instrumental in starting the world’s first “department” store, a place where a myriad of wares could be purchased.) Making another leap of faith, they bought the business. The year was 1995. “I did not inherit my father’s gift of artistic ability, but I always found my creativity in other ways, mainly fashion,” said Marie-Florence.
Settling in Bend and owning an upscale women’s boutique was a perfect fit. “It’s not easy for visitors to come into a former lumber town and find high-end fashions for women,” said Paul. “But Marie-Florence was able to accommodate the fashion market here—half of our clientele are from out of town and make it a point to return.”
You never know who you might meet in Bend. On any given day, you may and Paul and Marie-Florence Grayber
are in Romantique, greeting visitors with an old-world charm and genuine warmth that hint at their rich story and the
winding path that brought them here, together.